Pop Culture

Summer is concert season, and as part of our own summer concert series, we're putting the spotlight on places that have witnessed some of the most memorable musical performances in American history. Some are traditional venues, and others… well, not so much. But they all have two things in common: terrific music and fascinating history.

Liner Notes

Performer(s): James Brown and the Famous Flames (Bobby Byrd, Bobby Bennett, and Lloyd Stallworth)Venue: The Apollo TheaterLocation: Harlem, New York CityDate: October 24, 1962Memorable Moment: After nearly 11 minutes of practically torturing the crowd with “Lost Someone,” Brown slips into "Please Please Please." The crowd responds like the building is collapsing. It’s incredible.Show Vibe: Thirty-one minutes of desperate flirtation between entertainer and audience swelling with funk, anguish, and lust.... Read More →

The National Trust for Historic Preservation works to save America's historic places. Join us today to help protect the places that matter to you.

In the wake of our previous historic swimming pools post, we’ve arranged a tour of five more historic pools to help you escape the sweltering summer heat. Dip your toes into these refreshingly cool swimming spots from around the country.... Read More →

The National Trust for Historic Preservation works to save America's historic places. Join us today to help protect the places that matter to you.

But if you ask me, there’s nothing better than a corner bar where the beer is cold, the bartender knows your name, and you call the next game of pool by stacking your quarters on the edge of the table.

And while sanctuaries like this have largely gone the way of the affordable apartment in places like New York and D.C., Chicago may still be the capital of the genre.

Summer is concert season, and as part of our own summer concert series, we're putting the spotlight on places that have witnessed some of the most memorable musical performances in American history. Some are traditional venues, and others… well, not so much. But they all have two things in common: terrific music and fascinating history.

Memorable moment: The concert film Stop Making Sense was filmed over the course of a four-night stand by the Talking Heads at the Pantages Theatre. Director Jonathan Demme wanted to shoot additional scenes on a soundstage made to recreate the Pantages, but the band thought the lack of audience response would hinder their performance’s energy.

Show vibe:Stop Making Sense was shot during the Talking Heads’ tour in support of their fifth studio album, Speaking In Tongues, when the band was arguably reaching the peak of their fame. Audience members are featured briefly in only a few of the movie's shots, but to this day, filmgoers dance in the aisles at public screenings.... Read More →

The National Trust for Historic Preservation works to save America's historic places. Join us today to help protect the places that matter to you.

Giant concrete arrows were first installed by the Department of Commerce around 1927 to guide commercial pilots. (Photo courtesy Dppowell, Wikimedia Commons)

In the days before high-tech navigation systems, pilots flying across the country had slightly simpler tools to point them in the right direction: a network of beacons and giant concrete arrows.

Some of those arrows still exist today -- huge, mysterious, brush-covered artifacts, generally in remote reaches of the country. To an unsuspecting hiker, it might be a startling discovery. But together, these beacons and arrows tell the story of how the country’s earliest airmail and commercial airline pilots navigated the skies.... Read More →

The National Trust for Historic Preservation works to save America's historic places. Join us today to help protect the places that matter to you.

Berry Gordy, founder of Motown, has called his big sister, Esther Gordy Edwards, “bossy” and he knew in 1958 that borrowing money from the family savings club she had established wouldn’t be easy.

“She had power and influence,” Gordy wrote in his autobiography, To Be Loved. “She was a strong businesswoman, and very careful with money. The family depended on Esther to keep these things together.”

Gordy got the fight and the words he’d expected to hear from his sister -- If you’re so smart, why ain’t you rich? And, she continued, “You’re 29 years old and what have you done so far in your life?” In the end, though, Edwards approved an $800 loan -- provided Gordy sign a contract with future royalties as security.

The rest, of course, is music history -- still preserved in Hitsville U.S.A. in Detroit. The museum founded by Edwards in the modest house where some of the greatest hits of the 1960s were recorded by some of the era’s most iconic acts: the Supremes, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and a who’s-who of others.... Read More →

The National Trust for Historic Preservation works to save America's historic places. Join us today to help protect the places that matter to you.

Although we're always on the lookout for blog content, we encourage readers to submit story ideas or let us know if you've seen something that might be interesting and engaging for a national audience. Email us at editorial@savingplaces.org.

The PreservationNation blog features stories, news, and notes from the National Trust for Historic Preservation as well as the wider preservation movement. Have a great story to share? Email us! And visit PreservationNation.org to learn more about people saving places.

The Fine Print

While the writers of the PreservationNation blog are on staff at the National Trust for Historic Preservation or affiliated organizations, their posts are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.